What is considered an essential business? – WJXT News4JAX

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayor Lenny Curry announced an executive order mandating Duval County residents to stay home starting Friday due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Gov. Ron DeSantis made that a statewide order hours later.

Those in the area may ask ‘what does that mean?’ Does it mean that you can’t go out for groceries or keep a scheduled doctor’s visit? If I’m a business owner of a small hardware store, is my business considered essential?

The good news is that many businesses that are currently open — the Walmarts and Publixes and Home Depots — are considered essential and remain open, albeit, with their already altered operating hours.

What if you’re a handyman and fix items like dishwahers or air conditioning units? You’d still be able to do that under this order. Planning on taking the kids to a park and hitting baseballs? Sorry. That’s not considered essential. Better to stay home.

Restaurants? They are still permitted to stay open under previous guidelines of takeout, pickup and delivery only.

What about childcare? As long as children remain in groups of 10 or fewer, it’s allowed, but parents should not switch providers at this time, and providers should not accept children who have been with other providers.

Below are what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security considers essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. This list takes the place of the one released by the City of Jacksonville earlier Wednesday.

• Workers who coordinate with other organizations to ensure the proper recovery, handling, identification, transportation, tracking, storage, and disposal of human remains and personal effects; certify cause of death; and facilitate access to mental/behavioral health services to the family members, responders, and survivors of an incident.

Law enforcement, public safety and first responders

• Public, private, and voluntary personnel (front line and management) in emergency management, law enforcement, fire and rescue services, emergency medical services, and private security, to include public and private hazardous material responders, air medical service providers (pilots and supporting technicians), corrections, and search and rescue personnel.

• Food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees—to include those employed in food ingredient production and processing facilities; livestock, poultry, seafood slaughter facilities; pet and animal feed processing facilities; human food facilities producing by-products for animal food; beverage production facilities; and the production of food packaging.

• Farmers, farm workers, and agribusiness support services to include those employed in auction and sales: grain and oilseed handling, processing and distribution; animal food, feed, and ingredient production, packaging, and distribution; manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of veterinary drugs; truck delivery and transport; farm and fishery labor needed to produce our food supply domestically and for export.

• Farmers, farm workers, support service workers, and their supplier employees to include those engaged in producing and harvesting field crops; commodity inspection; fuel ethanol facilities; biodiesel and renewable diesel facilities; storage facilities; and other agricultural inputs.

• Employees and firms supporting the distribution of food, feed, and beverage and ingredients used in these products, including warehouse workers, vendor- managed inventory controllers and block chain managers.

• Workers supporting the sanitation and pest control of all food manufacturing processes and operations from wholesale to retail.

• Employees of companies engaged in the production, storage, transport, and distribution of chemicals, medicines, vaccines, and other substances used by the food and agriculture industry, including seeds, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments, and other agricultural production aids.

• Animal agriculture workers to include those employed in veterinary health (including those involved in supporting emergency veterinary or livestock services); raising of animals for food; animal production operations; livestock markets; slaughter and packing plants, manufacturers, renderers, and associated regulatory and government workforce.

• Workers who support sawmills and the manufacture and distribution of fiber and forest products, including, but not limited to timber, paper, and other wood and fiber products.

• Employees engaged in the manufacture and maintenance of equipment and other infrastructure necessary for agricultural production and distribution.

Energy

• Workers supporting the energy sector, regardless of the energy source (including but not limited to nuclear, fossil, hydroelectric, or renewable), segment of the system, or infrastructure the worker is involved in, or who are needed to monitor, operate, engineer, and maintain the reliability, safety, environmental health, and physical and cyber security of the energy system.

• Workers at coal mines, production facilities, and those involved in manufacturing, transportation, permitting, operation/maintenance and monitoring at coal sites which is critical to ensuring the reliability of the electrical system.

• Workers who produce, process, ship and handle coal used for power generation and manufacturing.

• Workers needed for safe and secure operations at nuclear generation to include but not limited to, the broader nuclear supply chain, parts to maintain nuclear equipment, fuel manufacturers and fuel components used in the manufacturing of fuel.

• Workers at Reliability Coordinator, Balancing Authorities, and primary and backup Control Centers, including but not limited to independent system operators, regional transmission organizations, and local distribution control centers.

• Mutual assistance personnel which may include workers from outside of the state or local jurisdiction. • Vegetation management and traffic control for supporting those crews.

• Workers for crude oil, petroleum and petroleum product storage and transportation, including pipeline, marine transport, terminals, rail transport, storage facilities and racks and road transport for use as end use fuels such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and heating fuels or feedstocks for chemical manufacturing.

• Transmission and distribution pipeline workers, including compressor stations and any other required, operations maintenance, construction, and support for natural gas, natural gas liquid, propane, and other liquid fuels.

• Workers in fuel sectors (including, but not limited to nuclear, coal, and gas types and liquid fuels) supporting the mining, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, permitting, operation/maintenance, and monitoring of support for resources.

Water and wastewater

Employees needed to operate and maintain drinking water and wastewater/drainage infrastructure, including:

• Operational staff at water authorities.

• Operational staff at community water systems.

• Operational staff at wastewater treatment facilities.

• Workers repairing water and wastewater conveyances and performing required sampling or monitoring, including field staff.

• Workers supporting the distribution of food, pharmaceuticals (including materials used in radioactive drugs) and other medical materials, fuels, chemicals needed for water or water treatment and energy Maintenance and operation of essential highway infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and tunnels (e.g., traffic operations centers and moveable bridge operators).

• Employees of firms providing services, supplies, and equipment that enable warehouse and operations, including cooling, storing, packaging, and distributing products for wholesale or retail sale or use. Includes cold- and frozen-chain logistics for food and critical biologic products.

• Manufacturers and distributors (to include service centers and related operations) of packaging materials, pallets, crates, containers, and other supplies needed to support manufacturing, packaging staging and distribution operations.

• Employees who repair and maintain vehicles, aircraft, rail equipment, marine vessels, bicycles, and the equipment and infrastructure that enables operations that encompass movement of cargo and passengers.

• Workers who support the operation, distribution, maintenance, and sanitation, of air transportation for cargo and passengers, including flight crews, maintenance, airport operations, those responsible for cleaning and disinfection, and other on- and off- airport facilities workers.

• Workers critical to rental and leasing of vehicles and equipment that facilitate continuity of operations for essential work forces and other essential travel.

• Warehouse operators, including vendors and support personnel critical for business continuity (including HVAC & electrical engineers; security personnel; and janitorial staff) and customer service for essential functions.

Public works and infrastructure support services

• Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues.

• Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, builders, contractors, HVAC Technicians, landscapers, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, businesses and buildings such as hospitals, senior living facilities, any temporary construction required to support COVID-19 response.

• Workers who support, such as road and line clearing, to ensure the availability of and access to needed facilities, transportation, energy and communications.

• Support to ensure the effective removal, storage, and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste and hazardous waste, including landfill operations.

• Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential dams, locks and levees.

• Workers who support the inspection and maintenance of aids to navigation, and other government provided services that ensure continued maritime commerce.

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